Ruth Porat has had a storied career.
Porat, a former Morgan Stanley chief financial officer and current Google president and chief investment officer, recently spoke to the Wall Street Journal about his career trajectory and the lessons he has learned from his success.
When asked how he was able to rise through the ranks so quickly during his career, Porat said he often asked himself this question:
“I always said, ‘What’s my biggest and best use?'” she said. “People enter their careers with predetermined notions of what kind of work they will do. Given that the world is dynamic rather than static, they miss out on what might otherwise be extraordinary.”
Other business leaders, including entrepreneur Mark Cuban and Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman, say they are valuing traits like agility and adaptability in an evolving workplace, especially with further changes such as the introduction of AI.
“It was worth taking a calculated risk. I was asked to run a financial institution, and my gut instinct was, no, that’s very boring. I did it a few months before the 2008 crash. It opened doors I didn’t even know existed,” Porat continued.
In the interview, Porat also talked about the characteristics that set star employees apart from other employees.
“Stars are the people in front of me, because I want them to challenge me in different ways,” she said.
On the other hand, what makes her uncomfortable with employees are those who process rather than think about how to meaningfully contribute.
“Step back and put yourself in my shoes. If I were having a conversation with some head of state, ask yourself, ‘Is this rich, deep, insightful? Does it take the conversation to another level?'” she said.
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